Knocking

"There's somebody knocking at the door!"                          Source: Twitter/CinW

Two tweets from the Llandaff Cathedral enthronement ceremony today:

1. "Bishop June knocks on the west door of @LlandaffCath and is welcomed inside by the Dean for enthronement service." - You can listen to a classic knocking commentary here.

2. "In her enthronement sermon  @LlandaffCath Bishop June pays tribute to her predecessor Bishop Barry and says she will build on his legacy." But Barry's legacy is one of desolation. Numbers have plummeted. Churches closed. Parishes forced into Ministry Areas. Demoralised clergy and laity, those who are left.

Bishop June must have the cause of this mayhem in mind rather than the consequences because it fits in with her established rencana of more women and sexual licence apparent from the long-time buriedOsborne Report.

Described as a 'Pioneer' English woman priest, "June Osborne?S ministry has been characterised by her passion for equality and diversity and she was a founder of the Church?S Leading Women programme".

No doubt there will plenty of gender equality clerics knocking at the door to reinforce bishop June's aim of parity. Building on Barry's legacy the door will be open to them, unlike marginalised, traditional Anglicans who continue to be punished for adhering to the catholic faith which is followed by the majority of Christians including Anglicans.

The Good News tells us,knock and it will be opened to you. That Anglican bishops do not receive the message as they mutter between themselves like Minnie and Henry illustrates how far they have departed from the Christian faith.

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St David must be turning in his grave

Abp Barry Morgan's legacy: Desolation. Note the dual translations. Point made!

This video must rank as one of the most contemptuous of an organisation's membership ever made. The Archbishop of Wales speaks in Welsh with English subtitles in supposed deference to Welsh speakers while the 'Welsh speaking' bishop-elect speaks in English with Welsh subtitles for the benefit of those who do not understand what she is talking about.

Forget the Landsker line and 'little England beyond Wales', this is about women in the church. The ability to communicate in Welsh has been marginalised to accommodate a woman of Barry Morgan's choice. He protests that his nominee has nothing to do with the fact that she is a woman but that she is the best person to be a bishop. If you swallow that you will swallow anything.

Postscript [15.11.2016]

‘Sacred Synod’ to confirm Bishop of St Davids’ election -Provincial News Press release:

The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, said, "The Constitution of the Church in Wales requires all episcopal elections to be confirmed by the other bishops meeting in Sacred Synod. This will be a public meeting and, should any member of the Church in Wales wish to draw any matter to the bishops? Attention in relation to this episcopal election, they are invited to attend the meeting in person."

An opportunity for Dr Barry Morgan to wear a laurel leaf crown as the Church in Wales enters her death throes?

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Barry Morgan shot down again

The bishops of Monmouth, Bangor, St Davids (Bp-elect), Llandaff (Abp), Swansea and Brecon and St Asaph in Sacred Synod           Source: Church in Wales

Archbishop Barry Morgan retires today. Referred to on the Church in Wales twitter account as a 'progressive man never afraid to go against the grain', he leaves behind a legacy based on a liberal interpretation of the Bible designed to back his personal views on homosexuality. His interpretation of scripture has once again attracted scholarly criticism (here). Previous examples here and here.

On Sunday in what appeared to be a promotional service 'Light for Our Darkness', Dr Morgan gave a two part address which was oddly split by the singing of the Nunc Dimittus as if to add some sort of divine approval. The service was broadcast from the Cardiff Parish Church of St John the Baptist led by the Vicar, the Rev'd Canon Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, LVO, OBE, OStJ who, coincidentally, is hotly tipped to be the next bishop of Llandaff.

On listening to his address Dr Morgan appeared to be suggesting that opponents of his liberal views are guilty of 'hatred' and 'intolerance', hating the sinner rather than the sins Christ forgave.

Desperate to convert everyone to an acceptance of same sex marriage in Church the Archbishop has consistently put his own interpretation on Holy scripture. Had he been a junior cleric his views, though worrying, would have carried little weight when shared with a tiny congregation. But Dr Morgan is the Archbishop, eulogised by ill-informed commentators as the longest serving Archbishop in the Anglican Communion as if that in itself imparts wisdom.

As a bishop Dr Morgan was called to 'lead and teach', not to lead astray. He may be entitled to his own views but not to represent them as those of the whole Church or to penalise Church members who have disagreed while maintaining the faith of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church which the Church in Wales claims to belong.

Dr Morgan vacates office in full knowledge that faithful worshippers have left the Church because he has consistently refused to make acceptable provision for anyone who maintains orthodox views.

Consequently many devout women and men have been left with nothing but a spiritual vacuum. That in itself is reprehensible but for it to be inflicted by an Archbishop who believes that only he can be right is outrageous.

Speaking about his desire to see same sex marriages performed in Church, Dr Morgan told the BBC: "I haven't done that on my own. I've done that with the full support of the present bench of bishops and also with the support of the governing body" thus making the bishops complicit and the GB accessories.

What an utter disaster. A Province in the Anglican Communion has been led astray for political purposes. In doing so the Church in Wales has been reduced to little more than an outlet for social services. Addressing an invited congregation at his farewell service Dr Morgan said, "Without the input of churches, fewer food banks would exist, less help would be given to the homeless, the poor and asylum seekers".

Divine worship has become secondary. Without a dramatic volte-face the Church in Wales is doomed.

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Commendable but...

"A Poor Upbringing?"                                                    Source: Church in Wales

Eisteddfod focus on child poverty. A Provincial press release from the Church in Wales draws attention to the issue of child poverty. "Church volunteers are stepping in to provide food and support for struggling families as cuts to public spending impact on child poverty."

All very commendable. - "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." - James 1:27.

Also, "Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ?Go in peace; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.?James dua: 15-17.

The latter quote comes after "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment" in a section headed Favoritism Forbidden.

Another type of poverty has been created in Wales. Spiritual poverty. The process started by Barry and his bench sitters and carried on by Abp Morgan's successor, as they favour the ordained ministry of women and all the LGBT baggage brought with it above traditional, often cradle, Anglicans.

No mercy has been shown to former and existing Anglicans who who have clung to the catholic faith. No tolerance and no support after the position of Provincial Assistant Bishop was buried by Abp Barry Morgan in indecent haste at the earliest opportunity without discussion. Provincial episcopal visitors as enjoyed in the Church of England are banned from providing sacramental and pastoral oversight in Wales.

Too many career minded clerics 'saw the light' after it became clear that Governing Body decisions were to carry far more weight than scripture, tradition and reason. Wittingly or unwittingly, they have aided the bench of bishops in turning the Church in Wales into a pit of misery, soon to disappear down its own orifice.

Ministry areas are struggling. Clergy are in short supply. So much so that lay people are conducting services, including Communion by Extension where "the sacrament is taken to a church from another church within the benefice, where the Holy Eucharist has previously been celebrateddanquot;. A measure encouraged to keep the bishops in the style they mistakenly believe they are entitle to.

Further decline seems inevitable.

The bishop of St Davids followed by the bishop of Llandaff lost no time in advancing their secular causes while complaining that they had been discriminated against because people disagreed with them. Holding the view that the ordained ministry is not open to women is not discriminatory, it is the position of the Holy Catholic Church

Feminism and LGBT issues have become so dominant in the Church in Wales that traditional faith is seen as unacceptable, casting former loyal Anglicans into spiritual poverty.

Nobody cares, least of all the "chief pastors or shepherds" despite what is claimed:

What distinguishes the Church from other communities, at least in its own self-understanding, is that it is a ‘spiritual’ community – a fellowship/community of the Holy Spirit. That is, it claims to participate in the Spirit of God and to be established as the community it essentially is by the Spirit of God. -The Church and its Ministry

Surrender of the C of E to the ?Zeitgeist?

Pride is one of the seven deadly sins - "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a falldanquot; Proverbs 16:18) yet gay pride is being celebrated by the Anglican Church. Rainbow altar frontals have become commonplace and Cathedrals bless Gay Pride proclaiming ?Diversity? As the new gospel.

Gay Deans are in vogue. In the latest instance from the Church of England,Ely Cathedral redefines Christianity; ? Anglican Unscripted and the surrender of the C of E to the ?Zeitgeist?.

In Wales it is reported that "MajorPride" has been planned to "celebrate the diversity of the community in Llantwit Major  where the church are "happy to host events"

One wonders whatSt. Illtud, the founder-abbot and teacher of the divinity school known as Cor Tewdws, located in Llanilltud Fawr (Llantwit Major) would have made of that.

Already steeped in gay pride the first woman bishop in the Church in wales was shoe-horned into St Davids in a political move which caused much dissension while the second woman bishop with similar credentials continues to do her own thing.

The bishop of Llandaff intends to take all her licensed clergy, Stipendiary and Non-Stipendiary, on a charter flight pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in May 2019. She must be hoping that airline pilots, air traffic controllers and baggage handlers play ball and do not strand all Llandaff diocese clergy in Spain.

Worse still, God forbid, if the plane were lost, this carefully crafted plan would leave the entire diocese without clergy but by then most services may be conducted by the laity anyway.

As the bishops go about the country's business, faithful worshippers continue to be excluded in favour of men who prefer to be thought of as women and vice versa despite their biology, women who want to marry women and men who want to marry men using parcel-post to deliver the means of creation.

What a legacy.

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